Revolver Rants: Czech Out APF’s R1 Wheel Guns

As you may not know (but my friends definitely do), I’m a revolver fan. I’ve written about wheel-guns for a number of publications, and I proudly let my six-shot freak flag fly. So, when I stumbled across the American Precision Firearms booth at the 2024 NSSF Range-Retailer Business Expo, my revolver Spidey senses begain to tingle.

Among the clutter of fancy looking race gun wonder-nines and nifty double-barreled 1911s, there was a three-inch fixed sight stainless-steel revolver.

Slicked and tricked out automatics didn’t grab my attention. Nope, it was that lonely 3″ revolver that called to me like a siren in the water. Tempting my heart and soul.

Be still my beating heart. I immediately moved to fondle the piece. And my heart went from beating wildly, to wanting to jump out of my chest like a Xenomorph from Aliens when I saw, inscribed on its shiny barrel, the wonderful numbers “357.”

I like stainless revolvers and I can not lie. You other brothers can’t deny. That when a .357 Magnum walks in with 3″ barrel. And fixed sights in your face…

Not only was it a revolver in my favorite layout, but it was chambered in my favorite revolver cartridge…the ever so amazing .357 Magnum, created by the minds of Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. Wesson.

I was in heaven as my wallet began screaming in agony. Another three-inch stainless .357 Magnum to add to the collection. But how exactly do I get my grubby Florida Man hands on such a thing? The NSSF show isn’t a place to buy, so I asked the fine folks of American Precision Arms if I could borrow their revolvers. They said sure, give us a FFL and we’ll ship ’em.

Before we dive deeply into the guns, a little about American Precision Firearms. They’re a small operation out of my hometown of Miami. The one with the beaches, the sunshine, the Cuban food, and Don Johnson driving a 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder.

But what really caught my interest in the company is that the owners aren’t from south Florida. They’re actually from Italy. A father and son team really, the old man was in the Italian armed forces and liked shooting. So did junior. And when they moved to the US, they kept that tradition going and eventually founded APF.

You can’t get more classically American than that. Immigrants move to Miami with a passion for capitalism and shooting. Then they start a gun import company and bring over some fine pieces from the old country. I love stories like that. It’s truly the American dream. Plus, they have this at their front entrance.

It’s damn lifelike when you see it in person. The pictures don’t do it justice.

But back to the guns. APF imports fine products from Europe and one of those is the Czech-made Afla-Proj series of revolvers. CzechPoint previously imported Afla-Proj’s earlier Holek line of revolvers. Those were .38 Special models made with a light alloy frame and a cast instead of a forged steel barrel. They were economical and affordable, but they didn’t sell well.

The line of guns APF is importing, though, is Alfa-Proj’s steel series, their premium line of revolvers. These are made with fully forged carbon steel and stainless steel frames and barrels. In fact, it’s reported that the barrels are made by Lothar Walther in Germany for assembly in Brno, Czech Republic.

What guns did APF send me? I got my sweaty Florida Man hands on the hot-to-trot stainless three-inch R1 Model 3530 along with a the six-inch blued R1 Model 3561 with adjustable sights.

When I opened the box, both guns were wore a nice set of wooden stocks, but in the box was also one rubber grip. That’s a nice option and I’ll get into that later on.

The original wooden stocks for the Model 3530 and the replacement rubber grip.

The three-inch R-1 Model 3530 reminds me very much of a Smith & Wesson K-Frame, specifically a Model 65. In fact, the three-inch R1 its in my leather K-Frame holsters.

S&W Model 65 above the three-inch APF-R1 Model 3530.

Plus, my HKS Model 10 speed-loaders work perfectly too. And there’s no damned lawyer-lock.

HKS-10 speed-loaders work perfectly with the rubber stocks. 

A lock-free stainless-steel K-Frame-sized three-inch .357 revolver…what more can one ask for? Now about recessed cylinders> Oh wait…the R-1 Model 3530 has that. 

But wait…the gun has one more nice thing hidden in its design. You can adjust the trigger without having to take the side plate off and swap out springs.

Trigger pull adjustment screw.

With that ability adjust the trigger, I got the pull weight down to about 11.5 lbs. which, for double action, is still a bit heavy, but not awful. Also, the trigger face is serrated as we’re seeing on current production Colt Pythons. But the trigger itself is rounded off, unlike the current production Colt Pythons.

The serrated trigger isn’t overly aggressive in texture. I’d prefer a smooth-faced trigger, but I can live with what the R-1 has. It isn’t squared off like the current production Colt Python.

The ejector rod is rounded and of proper length and doesn’t stab the hand at all when doing a forceful cartridge dump.

Smooth and rounded tip for the ejector rod

All in all, the R-1 Model 3530 won me over. I really like it.

The blued six-inch R-1 Model 3561 reminds me very much of a cross between a S&W Model 586 and a Model 19. Being that it’s the same frame size as the thee-inch R-1, it’s a K-Frame at heart. With a full-length lug six-inch barrel, it balances like a S&W L-Frame or a Colt Python which is very beneficial when shooting full-power magnum loads.

As on the three-inch R-1, the target crown is nicely done. The six-inch model’s front sight, with its orange insert, makes target shooting a breeze.

The target crown on the Model 3530
The front sight of the six-inch Model 3561

The rear sight again reminds me of a S&W or 1970s-era Colt Python. It is windage adjustable and has some fine serration cut into the windage drum to reduce glare.

The barrel is also machined along its length for glare reduction.

 

The bluing and polishing will seem slightly dull compared to the finishes of old, but for today’s market, it’s not bad (you can curse the EPA and their European counterparts for what they’ve done to traditional bluing processes).

On both R-1 guns, the cylinder release latch is absolutely fantastic. It’s a push-forward Smith-style button that’s nicely shaped and doesn’t get in the way of HKS speed-loaders.

The cylinder release is a push-forward design like a S&W.

There are traditional low-profile fixed front and rear sights on the model 3530, but that isn’t a negative. The gun is very viable as a self-defense carry gun and is very accurate at bad-guy distances.

Let’s get to how the guns shoot. If you want, you can watch me punch paper.

I took both guns out to my local public range for a lot more rounds down range. The three-inch model was, of course, my favorite.

The Model 3530 at fifteen Yards with Remington 125gr SJHP .357 Magnum.

With 125 grain Remington, it has some bite to go with its bark. You can see it here in this series of photos.

Perfect capture of the cartridge going off just as the firing pin struck the primer. The flash you’re seeing is the expanding gas pushing the bullet as it jumps from the cylinder into the forcing cone.
Recoil and the last bit of muzzle flash captured by the camera

While somewhat of a handful with 125 grain Remington loads, the three-inch R-1 is still very controllable for follow-up shots. And shooting .38 Special +P is like the old US Treasury loads. The gun tames them really well. A nice added bonus is the fact that the guns have thick forcing cones. You won’t have to worry about them as you did with the pre-lock Smith & Wesson K-frames.

Forcing cone of the Model 3530
S&W Model 65’s forcing cone. Notice the cut on the bottom, weakening the overall design. An issue that lead to cracked forcing cones if fed a steady diet of .357 Magnum ammo.

The six-inch Model 3561 is just a pleasure to shoot, with either .38 Special or .357 Magnum loads.

The Model 3561 at seven yards

There’s little to no recoil due to the barrel length and full lug. At seven yards, it was like I was just reaching out and touching the target without any effort. The sights give me a crisp sight picture and the trigger is beautifully clean and smooth in single action.

The Model 3561’s end results at fifteen yards

Again, from both outings with these guns. I enjoyed how they shot and I really like them both. But let’s get to the negatives. Yes, every gun has its negatives. The wooden stocks, while finely crafted and nicely fitted, interfere with the use of speed-loaders and ejection.

The speed-loader works with the wooden stocks, but not perfectly.
The wooden grip’s thumb rest can cause some ejection issues.

Remember when I said the rubber stocks are a nice option? One of the reasons for that, aside from liking rubber stocks in Florida’s humidity, is that they’re slimmer than the wood stocks and work well with the speed-loaders.

Another issue is the rear sight on the three-inch R-1 Model 3530 and it’s one a lot of stainless fixed-sight revolvers have. There’s a glare issue when shooting in bright sunlight. It’s not terrible, but it’s there.

Glare from the Florida sun, something that can’t be avoided with any stainless revolver.

I get around this by applying a little bit of red nail-polish to the front sight. It helps it stand out. I’ll eventually do that to the Model 3530. Other than those two gripes, I’ve found no fault with either gun.

Pricewise, you’re paying more than you would for a comparable Ruger or a Smith. APF would argue that you’re getting European quality craftsmanship.

Compared to other European made revolvers (think Manurhin or Korth) APF’s Czech revolvers are a steal.

As something of a revolver connoisseur, these guns remind me of the old-school craftsmanship I’d see in something like my Smith & Wesson Model 19 or a Colt Python. No chatter marks, no two-piece barrels, no MIM parts, and no lawyer-locks.

Colt Trooper MKIII, APF-R1 Model 3561, S&W Model 19, and Colt Python
S&W Model 19, APF-R1 Model 3561, and Colt Python. Only the APR-R1 has a front sight insert.
S&W Model 19, APF-R1 Model 3561, and Colt Python. Notice the Colt didn’t have recessed cylinders back then.
APF-R1 Model 3530 and S&W Model 65

You just aren’t seeing this level of quality coming out of Springfield or New Haven these days, but you’re seeing it coming out of Brno.

Double action shooting with the Model 3530 at fifteen yards with Remington 125 gr SJHP .357 Magnum

If you want something different, classy, and well built, check out American Precision Firearms and the guns they’re offering. The APF R1 revolvers have won me over. Now, I just have to figure out how to convince the wife we’ll be eating ramen for a week or two so I can buy the Model 3530.

 

Luis Valdes is a former law enforcement officer and detective, and is currently the Florida State Director, Outreach Director of Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands, and National Spokesman for Gun Owners of America. You can follow Luis on X via @RealFLGunLobby.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 thoughts on “Revolver Rants: Czech Out APF’s R1 Wheel Guns”

  1. Interested in seeing how it would stack up against a gp100 for warm to wild loads but always good to see more options.

  2. Good write up ,cant hide enthusiasm.

    I wish the company well, however, the fixed sight CZ revolver has been imported for some time by Rock Island Armory.
    Retail is usually 5 to 600 for the fixed sight guns. I have test fired several. They seem rugged, with a strong action. The double action trigger
    is very stiff. I would be reluctant to pay a Python price for these revolvers.

    1. Rock Island imported different calibers and cheaper versions. APF R-1 is importing only the 357 Magnum made in Stainless Steel.

  3. berretta moved a bunch of manufacturing to the turks years ago, i wonder if that jumped their own…..i read that ria, (armsc0or), has been importing czech goods—-hasn’t colt set up over there also?……..there also seems to be something with taurus, rossi, heritage, chiappa, and who ever else, but i think that centers round brazil— —-sorry rkc, just saw your post

  4. Luis,

    Agree about your love of wheelguns, and the examples you show are worth checking out (and I will). And, AS a wheelgun fan, I will just say that for concealability, and “power in your pocket”, unfortunately, even the mini wheelguns don’t stack up. Just sayin’, is all. STILL love a beautiful wheelgun, and have a couple that I shoot frequently, but . . . I carry a compact semi-auto.

    1. I agree, usually carry a 1911 .45.

      When I carry my 2.5 inch Python I also carry a backup .38, but then often do with the 1911 as well.

      When hiking and spelunking I carry a .357 exclusively.
      If an animal attacks it is fast and the revolver may be pressed into the body and fired shot after shot an automatic would jam

      Use both — really love my revolvers — slept many nights in the wild with a single action revolver nearby!!!